" Perry Rhodan 0059 - (51) Return from The Void" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

past number of days 2 million of them have disappeared without a trace. We donтАЩt wish to have our
world become totally depopulated in the next 5 or 10 years."

Rous had listened attentively. Now he looked up at Flaring and asked, "Are you authorized to
negotiateтАж?"
Flaring saw himself closer to his goal. "Yes, of course. Do you wishтАФ?"

Rous waved him off and got up. He spoke to Lloyd in English. "Put that thing back in its case!" he said.

Lloyd tucked the psycho-beamer out of sight in its case.

Rous took a few steps into the middle of the room before he, turned around and faced Flaring. "YouтАЩre
a reasonable man, Flaring," he said. "And thatтАЩs why IтАЩm going to be frank with you. But of course IтАЩm
going to have to disappoint you on one issue: we are not the ones you think we are. Admittedly, we are
aliens, but we are not responsible for the disappearance of 2 million inhabitants on this planet. Neither we
nor any other members of our race."

He gave Flaring a penetrating look, which Flaring returned. Then the latter finally raised his right hand in
a sign of assent.

But his tone was one of disillusionment. "I figured that you wouldnтАЩt really confide in us."

Rous shook his head without realizing that Flaring would not understand the gesture, which was of
Earthly origin. "YouтАЩre on the wrong trail, Flaring!" he said severely.

And then he explained to him as much as he needed to know, concerning the situation involving 3
Terranians in their midst. He kept silent about those things he must not revealтАФsuch as his home world,
its name and where it was located. He also maintained silence concerning the role that the Solar Empire
was playing in the overall framework of galactic power politics, although he had to comment on the fact
that the galaxy contained a multiplicity of power blocks and separate interest groups.

RousтАЩ lecture lasted about a quarter of an hour. At the end of it he said: "You canтАЩt commit a greater
mistake than to consider us as enemies. We have resources and weapons against which your most
modern equipment would be like so many stone-age hatchets. If anybody can track down your invisible
enemy, we are the ones who can do it. So you will be depriving yourselves of this possibility if you persist
in making difficulties for us."

It could be seen that Flaring was still not quite convinced. "Explain to me," he asked, "what possible
interest your race could have in Mirsalese events, You admit that youтАЩve already been in 2 situations
where my countrymen have disappeared without a trace but you emerged unscathed. If these attacks are
not directed against yourselves, why do you trouble yourselves about them?"

Rous started to grin. "ThatтАЩs a very adroit question," he had to admit. "DonтАЩt think weтАЩre doing it just for
charity. You know a prime principle for survival out in the galaxy is that anybody who wants to stay
around had better know whatтАЩs going on. In other words, he has to know all of his potential enemies. If
he comes across a phenomenon that doesnтАЩt affect him directly, he shouldnтАЩt close his eyes on that
account but instead should try to get to the bottom of the mystery. If he doesnтАЩt do that then maybe heтАЩll
be the next victim of the Unknown and because he didnтАЩt take the ounce of prevention and prepare
himself in time, he becomes helpless to defend himself. Can you understand that?"